12,263 Candidates Take First Round of CPA Exam... Competition Rate at 4.4 to 1

This year, the competition rate for the first round of the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam was 4.4 to 1.

According to the Financial Supervisory Service on March 3, a total of 12,263 candidates took the 61st first round of the CPA exam held the previous day at 26 testing centers nationwide. Based on the quota of 2,800 candidates to be selected in the first round, the competition rate was 4.4 to 1, a slight decrease from the previous year's 4.9 to 1.

The number of test-takers dropped by 14.0% compared to the previous year (14,259 candidates), and the attendance rate was provisionally tallied at 83.9%, down 2.3 percentage points from the prior year.

For the first round, a maximum of 2,800 candidates will be selected in order of highest scores among those who scored an average of 60% or higher without failing any subject. If the number of qualifying candidates exceeds 2,800 due to ties, all candidates with the same score will pass.

Objections to the preliminary answer key will be accepted from today until 6 p.m. on March 11, and the list of first round qualifiers will be announced on April 10.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.